US 20070248328A1
(19) United States
(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0248328 A1
Khan et al.
(54)
(43) Pub. Date:
RECORDING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A
(22)
Filed:
RANGE OF PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS
Oct. 25, 2007
Sep. 12, 2006
Related US Application Data
(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 11/401,759,
(75) Inventors:
Mohammad Ayub Khan, Santa
Clara, CA (US); Shahid Iqbal,
Islamabad (PK); Abid Khan,
Islamabad (PK); Muhammad
Fayuz-ur Rehman, Islamabad
(PK); Muhammad Israr Khan,
Islamabad (PK); Syed Muhammad
?led on Apr. 10, 2006.
Publication Classi?cation
(51)
(52)
Int. Cl.
H04N 7/00
H04N 5/91
(2006.01)
(2006.01)
US. Cl. ....................................................... .. 386/96
Ziauddin, Islamabad (PK);
(57)
Haroon-ur Rashid, Islamabad
Correspondence Address:
A system and method of recording audio-visual (A/V)
contents directly to a variety of portable media players
(PMPs). The recorded contents can be played back by the
portable media players immediately Without further format
conversions. To facilitate immediate playback of the
MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP
18191 VON KARMAN AVE., SUITE 500
ti?cation device con?gured to automatically identify types
(PK)
ABSTRACT
recorded contents, the recording apparatus contains an iden
of portable media players connected to an exemplary record
ing device that stores the A/V contents. Once the type of
IRVINE, CA 92612-7108
portable media player is identi?ed, the recording device
(73) Assignee:
automatically generates compressed bit stream in a format
Streaming Networks (Pvt.) Ltd.,
Islamabad (PK)
that is compatible With the portable media player. Depend
ing upon the nature of the input, the recording apparatus
digitiZes, encodes and/or transcodes the A/V contents and
stores directly into the portable media player’s local storage
(21) Appl. No.:
in playback ready format.
11/520,314
10
/
18
User Interface
22
hi
/
I
/
t /
12
14
/
AN Input
‘
Input
Source
7
Module
24
I6
Portable
M
‘
g
> Media
Player
_
7 Converter
7
Output
General
purpose
'
T
T
oeteciiwn/ Configuration
T
20
/
4
26
storage
devrce
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 1 0f 10
US 2007/0248328 A1
10
18
User Interface
22
i
/
l
l /
12
24
16
14
/
Portable
M
> Media
Player
ANlnput
‘
Input
Source
7
Module
‘
’
>
7 Converter
7
Output
General
purpose
/' slorage
t
t
Mefhm/ Configuration
FIG. 1
T
20
/
:
26
devlce
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 2 of 10
US 2007/0248328 A1
/ i0
32
Video Input
v‘d
/ 36
/ 33
PMPIStorage Media
I 80
Connector
}> Capture
and Digitizer
34
PMP/
Digital Signal Processor
‘
>
Storage ‘
7
Interface
Audio Input x
Audio
Capture and
Digitizer
A
Power
Connector \( H
46
A
y
44
y
/42
40
Power
Flash
Random Access
Record
Supply
Memory
Memory
Button
/
User Input via
OneButton
Ftecordrng
Device
FIG. 2
?-
Status LED
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 3 0f 10
US 2007/0248328 A1
W24
48
/
Analogue /
Digital A/V
signal Source
10
/
_
Portabie Media
'
Pla er PMP
Y (
)
Recording
apparatus
/26
General
>
purpose
storage device
FIG. 3
/24
50
Digital A/V
Contents
m
Portable Media
/
Player (PMP)
Recording
apparatus
General
:
purpose
storage device
FIG. 4
/26
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 4 0f 10
10
52
/
Set-Top-Box
US 2007/0248328 A1
24
/
7
Recording
>
apparatus
Portable Media
Player (PMP)
FIG. 5
24
/
Recording
Portable Media
V
apparatus
FIG. 6
Player (PMP)
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 5 0f 10
US 2007/0248328 A1
24
26
General
purpose
storage device
Portable Media
Recording
apparatus
Player (PMP)
FIG. 7
24b
24a
/
1
Portable Media
Player (PMP)
Recording
apparatus
FIG. 8
Portable Media
V
Player (PMP)
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 6 0f 10
10
24
/
——>'
US 2007/0248328 A1
./
-
Recordrng
apparatus
Portable Media
—-——>
Player (PMP)
FIG. 9
10
26
/
/
'
,
Recordrng
General
‘____,+
apparatus
purpose
.
storage devrce
FIG. 10
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 7 of 10
Connect the recording apparatus to AN
US 2007/0248328 A1
/
source and PMP, and turn on the power
1
Wait for automatic detection of signal
/
source, video standard, and PMP type
i
Press Button to start recording
a
/
l
Press Button to stop recording
66
/
L
Play recorded ?le from PMP play list
FIG. 1 1
68
/
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 8 of 10
Connect the recording apparatus to AN
US 2007/0248328 A1
70
source and PMP. and turn on the power
l
Wait for automatic detection of signal
source, video standard, and PMP type
t
Press Button to start recording
1
76
Press Button to stop recording
78
YES
Play recorded tite(s) trom PMP play list
FIG. 12
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 9 0f 10
US 2007/0248328 A1
Connect the recording apparatus to AN
source and PMP, and turn on the power
1
Wait for automatic detection of signal
source, video standard, and PMP type
l
92
94
Press Button to start recording
l
Press Button to stop recording
l
98
Manually add recorded file to PMP play list
i
Play recorded file from PMP play list
' FIG- 13
100
Patent Application Publication
Oct. 25, 2007 Sheet 10 0f 10
Connect the recording apparatus to AN
/‘ 10
source and mass media storage device,
and turn on the power
l
Wait for automatic detection of signal
/
I12
source, video standard, and mass media
storage type
1‘
114
Press Button to start recording
l
/
/ 1 16
Press Button to stop recording
118
YES
I20
Copy the-recorded ?|e(s) to a PMP and play /
FIG. 14
US 2007/0248328 A1
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
RECORDING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A
RANGE OF PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS
media player memory may be internal or external to the
portable media player. Examples of the portable media
RELATED APPLICATION
player memory include a hard-disk, RAM, compact ?ash,
SD card, multi-media card, memory stick, ?ash drive and/or
[0001] This Application is a continuation-in-part of, and
claims the bene?t of priority from US. patent application
any other storage medium. The recording apparatus com
prises a detection module con?gured to automatically iden
tify a portable. media player connected to the output module,
Ser. No. 11/401,759, titled “ONE-STEP RECORDING
APPARATUS FOR PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS,”
Which Was ?led on Apr. 10, 2006 and commonly assign to
the assignee of this application, the disclosure of Which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002]
The present invention relates to the ?eld of audio/
video recorders, and more speci?cally, to an audio/video
recorder device for use With a range of portable media
players.
and a con?guration module con?gured to control or select
the format of the output bit stream to be compatible With that
used by the identi?ed portable media player. The detection
and con?guration modules select formats for A/V encoding,
multiplexing, and ?le type, Which are suitable for the
identi?ed portable media player. Other associated selections
may include appropriate bit rates and rate-distortion param
eters for the compressed bit streams, and imposing suitable
limits on ?le siZes and recording durations. According to
another embodiment, an exemplary system of this disclosure
identi?es general purpose storage devices, and records and
stores data to mass storage devices other than a portable
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] The portable media player market has registered
rapid groWth in recent years. The sharp rise in the popularity
of portable media players has raised the demand for neW and
better media contents. With the increase in media contents,
media player.
[0005]
According to one embodiment, the recorded con
tents can be played back by the portable media players
immediately upon stopping the recording. To facilitate
immediate playback of the recorded contents, the recording
management of such contents for portable media players
apparatus contains means for automatic identi?cation of
becomes more challenging. Users have encountered dif?
culties in transferring and/or recording personal A/V con
portable media players. Once the type of a portable media
player connected to the recording apparatus is identi?ed, the
tents to or from portable media players. Conventional trans
recording apparatus automatically con?gures itself to gen
fer of A/V contents to a portable media player typically
involves several steps like A/V capture, encoding or
transcoding to a desired format, and transferring the result
ant data to the player memory. These steps usually requires
erate compressed bit stream in a format that is directly
compatible With the portable media player. The A/V contents
may come in the form of analogue/digital signals or as
the use of a computer, intermediate storage, and/ or non-real
digital data in compressed or uncompressed form from
transmission and/or storage devices. Depending upon the
time processing, Which make the process costly and time
nature of the input, the recording apparatus digitiZes,
consuming. The problem is further compounded by the fact
encodes and/or transcodes the A/V contents and stores
that different portable media players access and store media
contents in different formats, and hence contents created for
one portable media player are usually incompatible With the
other portable media players. Accordingly, there is a need for
directly into the portable media player’s local storage in
playback ready format. In one aspect, the recording appa
mechanisms for play-lists in portable media players. The
ratus provides both manual as Well as automatic update
a convenient and cost-effective method to record and trans
recording apparatus may alloW the user to override the
fer A/V contents to portable media players. There is also a
need for a loW cost, convenient to operate, real-time A/V
automatic con?guration mechanism and modify the bit
stream parameters through a manual con?guration interface.
recording device that is interoperable With a variety of
portable media players. There is another need for an A/V
recording device that automatically identi?es the type of a
portable media player connected to the output of the record
ing device, and con?gures the A/V recording device to
generate and store compatible bit streams directly into the
The recording apparatus may record and store A/V contents
to mass storage devices other than a portable media player.
[0006] It is understood that other embodiments of the
portable media player’s local storage.
SUMMARY
[0004]
Various embodiments described in this application
address one or more above-described issues. One objective
of the invention is to provide a cost-effective and convenient
Way to use A/V contents recording apparatus or device that
alloWs users to conveniently record and transfer personal
A/V contents to portable media players of various kinds,
thereby improves the portability of the recorded contents.
An exemplary recording apparatus includes an input module
con?gured to receive A/V contents in analogue or digital
present invention Will become readily apparent to those
skilled in the art from the folloWing detailed description,
Wherein various embodiments of the invention are shoWn
and described by Way of illustration. As Will be realiZed, the
invention is capable of other and different embodiments and
its several details are capable of modi?cation in various
other respects, all Without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the draWings
and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in
nature and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007]
FIG. 1. Overview of an embodiment of the current
invention receiving analogue/digital audio-visual signals
form, a converter module con?gured to encode or transcod
ing A/V contents to a desired format, and an output module
con?gured to transfer the encoded or transcoded contents
and recording them in a desired digital format directly to a
portable media player storage memory or a mass storage
device.
[0008] FIG. 2. Overview of an embodiment of the current
directly to a portable media player memory. The portable
invention receiving digital audio-visual contents and record
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
ing them in a desired digital format directly to a portable
recording apparatus includes an input module con?gured to
media player storage memory or a mass storage device.
[0009] FIG. 3. An embodiment of the current invention
receiving audio-visual signals from a set-top-box and
receive A/V contents in analogue or digital form, a converter
module con?gured to encode or transcoding A/V contents to
a desired format, and an output module con?gured to
recording them in a desired digital format directly to a
transfer the encoded or transcoded contents directly to a
portable media player storage memory.
portable media player memory. The portable media player
[0010]
FIG. 4. An embodiment of the current invention
memory may be internal or external to the portable media
receiving audio-visual broadcast signals from RF antenna
player. Examples of the portable media player memory
and recording them in a desired digital format directly to a
include a hard-disk, RAM, compact ?ash, SD card, multi
media card, memory stick, ?ash drive and/or any other
storage medium.
[0023] The recording apparatus further includes a detec
tion module con?gured to automatically identify a portable
portable media player storage memory.
[0011] FIG. 5. An embodiment of the current invention
receiving digital audio-visual contents from a removable
storage device and recording them in a desired digital format
directly to a portable media player storage memory.
[0012] FIG. 6. An embodiment of the current invention
receiving digital audio-visual contents from a ?rst portable
media player and recording them in a desired digital format
directly to a second portable media player storage memory.
[0013] FIG. 7. An embodiment of the current invention
receiving digital audio-visual contents from a portable
media player storage memory and recording them in a
desired digital format directly to the same portable media
player storage memory.
[0014] FIG. 8. An embodiment of the current invention
receiving digital audio-visual contents from a mass storage
device and recording them in a desired digital format
directly to the same mass storage device.
[0015] FIG. 9. OvervieW of an embodiment of the current
invention illustrating the internal processing modules.
[0016] FIG. 10. A simpli?ed diagram illustrating the hard
Ware components of an embodiment of the present inven
tion.
[0017] FIG. 11. An operational ?oW chart of an embodi
ment of the current invention for one recording session
directly to a PMP.
[0018] FIG. 12. An operational ?oW chart of an embodi
ment of the current invention for one or multiple recording
session(s) directly to a PMP.
[0019] FIG. 13. An operational ?oW chart of an embodi
ment of the current invention for one recording session
directly to a PMP, Where the play lists are updated manually.
[0020] FIG. 14. An operational ?oW chart of an embodi
ment of the current invention for one or multiple recording
session(s) to a mass storage device.
media player connected to the output module, and a con
?guration module con?gured to control or select the format
of the output bit stream to be compatible With that used by
the identi?ed portable media player. The detection and
con?guration modules select formats for A/V encoding,
multiplexing, and ?le type, Which are suitable for the
identi?ed portable media player. Other associated selections
may include appropriate bit rates and rate-distortion param
eters for the compressed bit streams, and imposing suitable
limits on ?le siZes and recording durations. According to one
aspect, an exemplary system of this disclosure identi?es
general purpose storage devices, and records and stores data
to mass storage devices other than a portable media player.
[0024] In one embodiment, an exemplary recording device
captures A/V signals in analogue/ digital form from a source
that may be a video camera, DVD player, set top box, VCR,
TV set, or any other media storage or transmission device.
The recording device may use standard CVBS, S-Video,
component video, RGB, DVI, HDMI, LVDS and the like for
analogue/digital input. Once captured, the analogue signal is
suitably processed and digitiZed, and is passed on to the
appropriate A/V encoder module. The A/V encoder module
may consist of any suitable audio and/or video compression
method as provided by Mpegl, Mpeg2, Mpeg4, H.263,
H264, VC-l,AAC, MP2, MP3, AC-3 standards, or any other
standard or proprietary compression algorithm. It is Worth
noting that the scope of the current invention is not limited
by the encoder algorithm/architecture or by the A/V multi
plexing algorithm/architecture. The detection module may
employ any standard protocol governing plug-and-play
devices such as USB, FireWire or BlueTooth, or any other
device protocol, to obtain the device/vendor ID of the
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
portable media player connected to the recording apparatus.
[0021] The detailed description set forth beloW in connec
tion With the appended draWings is intended as a description
of various embodiments of the present invention and is not
intended to represent the only embodiments in Which the
The con?guration module uses the device/vendor ID to
select appropriate A/V encoding, multiplexing, and ?le
formats, and sets rate distortion parameters suitable for the
target portable media player. The encoder module com
present invention may be practiced. The detailed description
presses the A/V contents into a desired format as prescribed
includes speci?c details for the purpose of providing a
by the detection and con?guration modules and passes them
thorough understanding of the present invention. HoWever,
it Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present
on to the output module. The output module transfers and
stores the compressed media contents directly to a portable
invention may be practiced Without these speci?c details. In
media player storage memory in playback ready form. The
some instances, Well-knoWn structures and components are
output module may also transfer the compressed media
shoWn in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the
concepts of the present invention.
contents to a general purpose storage device other than a
portable media player. The output module may employ any
[0022] One or more embodiments of the present invention
Will noW be described. According to one embodiment, an
exemplary recording apparatus or device alloWs users to
Wired or Wireless means like USB, Ethernet, FireWire,
BlueTooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable protocol or
standard for data transfer.
conveniently record and transfer personal A/V contents to
[0025]
portable media players of various kinds, thereby improves
current invention receives compressed or uncompressed
A/V data in digital form from a computer, set top box, or any
the portability of the recorded contents. The exemplary
In another embodiment, the recording device of the
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
other storage or transmission device. The digital data input
module may employ USB, Ethernet, or any other appropri
ate Wired or Wireless means for data transfer. In the case of
compressed data, the digital A/V contents are passed on to
the appropriate A/V transcoder module for decoding and
re-encoding, While in the case of un-compressed data, the
decoding step is bypassed and the A/V contents are directly
passed on to a suitable encoder. The A/V encoder or
transcoder module may consist of any suitable audio and/or
video compression method as provided by Mpegl, Mpeg2,
Mpeg4, H.263, H264, VC-l, AAC, MP2, MP3, AC-3 stan
dards, or any other standard or proprietary compression
algorithm. It is Worth noting that the scope of the current
invention is not limited by the encoder or transcoder algo
rithm/architecture or by the A/V multiplexing algorithm/
architecture. The detection module may utiliZe any standard
protocol governing plug-and-play devices such as USB,
FireWire or BlueTooth, or any other device protocol, to
obtain the device/vendor ID of the portable media player
connected to the recording apparatus. The con?guration
[0028] The user of the present invention does not require
any knoWledge or experience of operating a computer or any
other active device other than a portable media player and
the invention itself Despite this simplicity, an embodiment
of the current invention may provide elaborate control of the
recording device by alloWing an advanced user to set or
override the automatically con?gured parameters through
user con?guration data that may be entered through a button
interface or as a data ?le, array, structure, or any other format
that may reside in the portable media player’s memory or in
any other storage device. The user may therefore acquire
control of the automatic con?guration module and may
override or set all the device parameters including the types
of encoders/decoders, ?le formats, bit-rates, duration of
recording and others.
[0029] Different embodiments of the present invention
may contain features like dynamic source detection,
Whereby the selection of the appropriate A/V source is made
dynamically on the basis of the availability of the A/V
signal; dynamic video standard detection, Whereby the
selection of NTSC/PAL/SECAM video standards is made
module uses the device/vendor ID to select appropriate A/V
automatically; automatic media detection, Whereby the type
transcoding, A/V encoding, multiplexing, and ?le formats,
and make of media storage device is detected automatically;
and sets rate distortion parameters suitable for the target
portable media player. The encoder or transcoder modules
and automatic portable media player detection, Whereby
compress the A/V contents into a desired format as pre
different brands and makes of portable media players are
identi?ed automatically. Different embodiments of the
scribed by the detection and con?guration modules and pass
present invention may provide support for FAT32, FAT16,
them on to the output module. The output module transfers
and stores the compressed media contents directly to the
portable media player storage memory in playback ready
form. The output module may also transfer the compressed
media contents to a general purpose storage device other
than a portable media player. The output module may
employ any Wired or Wireless means like USB, Ethernet,
FireWire, BlueTooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable
protocol or standard for data transfer.
[0026] According to still another embodiment of the cur
rent invention, A/V data is received both from a digital as
Well as an analogue source. An exemplary recorder device
selects an appropriate A/V transcoder and/or A/V encoder
HFS, HFS+, Ext2, Ext3, NTFS, or any other standard or
proprietary ?le system. Moreover, embodiments of the
present invention may support MP4, MOV, AVI, ASF, or any
other standard or proprietary ?le format.
[0030] Certain embodiments of the present invention may
use a remote control device for con?guration and control.
The remote control device may contain a single or a plurality
of buttons, and may control the entire features or a sub-set
of the entire features of the recorder device. A single or a
plurality of buttons may be housed on both the recorder
device and the remote control device or on either one of
determined by the detection and con?guration modules to
them. The remote control device may communicate With the
recorder device through any Wired or Wireless means. An
embodiment of the present invention may also contain a
generate the media contents in a desired format. According
to another embodiment, A/V contents may be received in
docking station for interfacing With and/or holding a por
table media player.
digital form from a storage/transmission device. The
[0031]
encoded/transcoded AN contents may be transferred back to
the same device or to another storage/transmission device.
tain a TCP/IP stack or any other suitable communication
stack to connect to netWorked devices. An embodiment of
the present invention may further contain an RF tuner for
According to another embodiment of the invention, audio
only, video-only or still-image contents may be stored or
recorded in a manner similar to that described for A/V
contents.
An embodiment of the present invention may con
receiving digital/analogue broadcast signals. It may also be
noted that although the present invention has been described
from the perspective of a standard portable media player, an
A unique aspect of the present invention is its
embodiment of the device may easily record and store to any
ability to record analogue and/ or digital A/V media contents
directly to a portable media player memory in one step,
Without requiring any intermediate storage or processing
steps. The stored contents can be played back by the portable
portable device that stores and plays back still-image, audio,
[0027]
video, or A/V contents, such as a mobile phone or a PDA.
A device as described by the current invention may be
poWered by a battery, an AC source, or a DC source.
media player immediately upon stopping the recording. In
[0032]
this context, the invention gives portable media player users
the option of managing their oWn play-lists or alloWing the
recorder device to update the play-lists automatically. In the
ing apparatus 10 comprises an input module 12, a converter
former case the device treats a portable media player as any
other mass storage device and the play-lists are left un
In one embodiment as shoWn in FIG. 1, the record
module 14, an output module 16, a user interface module 18
and a detection/con?guration module 20. As Will be further
described beloW, the recording apparatus 10 is used to
touched, While in the latter case the portable media player
?le structure and play-lists are updated to alloW instant play
facilitate the transfer of A/V contents from an A/V input
source 22 to a portable media player 24 and/or a general
purpose storage device 26. The transfer can be effected
back of the recorded contents.
simultaneously as the A/V contents are being played by the
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
A/V input source 22. For example, in the case Where the A/V
tal form from a computer, a set top box, or any other storage
input source 22 is a television, the A/V contents can be
vieWed by a user on the television in real-time While the
or transmission device. The input module 12 may employ
USB, Ethernet, or any other appropriate Wired or Wireless
means for data transfer. In the case of compressed data, the
digital A/V contents are passed onto the converter module 14
that includes transcoding functions for decoding and re
encoding the A/V contents to and from any desired format,
transfer is being effected on the portable media player 24
and/ or the general purpose storage device 26. Optionally, the
A/V contents being recorded can also be played simulta
neously on the portable media player 24 thereby alloWing a
user to Watch What is being recorded onto the portable media
player 24.
[0033]
The input module 12 is con?gured to receive A/V
contents in analog or digital form from the A/V input source
22. The A/V contents may be single-channel or multiple
channel. The converter module 14 is con?gured to encode or
transcode the A/V contents received by the input module 12
to a desired format. The output module 16 is con?gured to
transfer the encoded or transcoded contents directly to a
such as, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.263, H264, AAC,
MP2, MP3, AC-3, or any other standard or proprietary
format. In the case of uncompressed data, the decoding step
is bypassed and the A/V contents are encoded by the
converter module 14. It is Worth noting that the scope of the
present invention is not limited by any encoder or transcoder
algorithm/architecture or A/V multiplexing algorithm/archi
tecture. The encoded or re-encoded A/V contents are passed
memory associated With the portable media player 24. The
memory associated With the portable media player 24 may
be internal or external to the portable media player 24. The
onto the output module 16.
[0039] The output module 16 transfers and stores the
compressed A/V contents directly to the memory associated
recording apparatus 10 can also store its output to the
With the portable media player 24 in playback ready form.
general purpose storage device 26 other than the portable
media player 24. The portable media player 24 and the
contents to a general purpose storage device 26 other than
general storage device 26 may comprise a hard disk, a
the portable media player 24. The output module 16 may
random access memory (RAM), a compact ?ash, a secure
employ any Wired or Wireless means like USB, Ethernet,
The output module 16 may also transfer the compressed A/V
digital (SD) card, a multi-media card, a memory stick, a
FireWire, BlueTooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable
?ash drive or any other storage medium.
protocol or standard for data transfer.
[0034] As noted above, the recording apparatus 10 cap
tures A/V contents in analog/ digital form from the A/V input
source 22. The A/V input source 22 may include a video
camera, a DVD player, a set top box, a VCR, a TV set, or
any other media storage or transmission device. The record
ing apparatus 10 may use various video standards, such as,
CVBS, S-Video, Component Video, RGB, DVI, HDMI,
LVDS, ITU-R BT.656 and the like for analog/digital video
input. The recording apparatus 10 may also use various
audio standards, such as, I2S and PCM and the like for
analog/digital audio input.
[0035]
In the case of analog contents, such contents are
captured by the input module 12 and suitably processed and
[0040]
The recording apparatus 10 further includes the
user interface module 18 and the detection/con?guration
module 20. The user interface module 18 is con?gured to
accept input from a user. The input from the user may be
used to control the operation of the recording apparatus 10.
The detection/con?guration module 20 is con?gured to
receive information including recording parameters from the
portable media player 24 and/or the general purpose storage
device 26 and use such information to con?gure the input
module 12, the converter module 14 and the output module
16 so as to generate the output in the appropriate format for
the portable media player 24 and/or the general purpose
storage device 26. Alternatively, the detection/con?guration
digitiZed. In the case of digital contents, such contents are
passed onto the converter module 14 With minimal process
mg.
[0036] The converter module 14 receives the output from
the input module 12. The converter module 14 may be
con?gured to handle any suitable audio and/or video com
module 20 may also receive the information from other
pression method as provided by, for example, MPEG1,
MPEG2, MPEG4, H.263, H264, AAC, MP2, MP3, AC-3
protocol governing plug-and-play devices such as USB,
standards, or any other standard or proprietary compression
algorithm. It is Worth noting that the scope of the present
invention is not limited by any encoder algorithm/architec
ture or A/V multiplexing algorithm/architecture. The con
obtain the device/vendor ID of the portable media player
connected to the recording apparatus. The con?guration
verter module 14 compresses the A/V contents into a desired
format and passes them onto the output module 16.
[0037] The output module 16 transfers and stores the
compressed A/V contents directly to the memory associated
With the portable media player 24 in playback ready form.
sources, such as, a doWnload from a Website on the Internet.
[0041]
The detection/con?guration module 20 also per
forms a detection function to determine the type of portable
media player connected to the output module 16. The
detection/ con?guration module 20 may utiliZe any standard
FireWire or BlueTooth, or any other device protocol, to
module uses the device/vendor ID to select appropriate A/V
transcoding, A/V encoding, multiplexing, and ?le formats,
and sets rate distortion parameters suitable for the target
portable media player. The encoder or transcoder modules
compress the A/V contents into a desired format as pre
scribed by the detection and con?guration modules and pass
them on to the output module. The output module 16
The output module 16 may also transfer the compressedA/V
transfers and stores the compressed media contents directly
contents to a general purpose storage device 26 other than
to the portable media player storage memory in playback
the portable media player 24. The output module 16 may
ready form. The output module may also transfer the com
pressed media contents to a general purpose storage device
other than a portable media player. The output module may
employ any Wired or Wireless means like USB, Ethernet,
employ any Wired or Wireless means like USB, Ethernet,
FireWire, BlueTooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable
protocol or standard for data transfer.
[0038]
In another embodiment, the recording apparatus 10
receives compressed or uncompressed A/V contents in digi
FireWire, BlueTooth, IrDA, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable
protocol or standard for data transfer.
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the
present invention. The recording apparatus 10 includes a
video capture and digitizer 32, an audio capture and digitizer
A/V input source 22 is in digital bit-stream in compressed or
uncompressed form streaming from a netWork device or
source or read from the portable media player 24 or the
34, a digital signal processor 36, a portable media player
general purpose storage device 26.
[0050] An embodiment of the present invention may fur
(PMP)/storage interface 38, a record button 40, a random
access memory 42, a ?ash memory 44 and a poWer supply
46.
[0043] The video capture and digitiZer 32 and the audio
capture and digitiZer 34 perform functions that are similar to
those described above in connection With the input module
12. These digitiZers 32, 34 receive video and audio inputs
respectively from the A/V input source 22 (not shoWn in
FIG. 2) and then render these inputs into digital form. Output
from the digitiZers 32, 34 is then forWarded to the digital
signal processor 36 for processing into a desired format.
Subsequently, output from the digital signal processor 36 is
forWarded to the PMP/storage interface 38 for delivery to
the portable media player 24 and/or the general purpose
storage device 26 (not shoWn in FIG. 2).
[0044] The record button 40 is used by the user to initiate
recording of the A/V contents from the A/V input source 22
onto the portable media player 24 and/or the general purpose
storage device 26. In this embodiment, the user may simply
press the record button 40 to initiate the recording operation
by the recording apparatus 30 Without any further action on
ther contain an RF tuner for receiving digital/analog broad
cast signals. It may also be noted that although the present
invention has been described in the context of a portable
media player, an embodiment of the recording apparatus
may easily record and store to any portable device that stores
and plays back still-image, audio, video, or A/V contents,
such as, a mobile phone or a PDA (personal digital assis
tant). Furthermore, the recorded A/V contents can also be
played back by softWare media players on any non-portable
devices, such as, a desktop computer and the like.
[0051] One embodiment of the present invention is a
stand-alone device. HoWever, it should be noted that there
may be instances Where the recording apparatus is housed in
a host device, and the recording apparatus may even share
some of the circuitry of the host device. The purpose of such
an arrangement Would be to enhance the functionality of the
host device by providing the facility of direct recording of
A/V contents to a portable media player. For example, in one
embodiment, the recording apparatus may be housed in a set
the part of the user.
top box, a TV set, a camcorder, a video camera, a DVD
player, a VCD player, a DVR, a VCR, or any other media
[0045]
player.
While the recording apparatus 10 is described
above in connection With A/V contents, it should be under
stood that the recording apparatus 10 may also be used to
record and store audio-only, video-only or still-image con
tents in a manner similar to that described for A/V contents.
[0046] Different embodiments of the present invention
may contain features like dynamic source detection,
Whereby the selection of the appropriate A/V input source is
made dynamically on the basis of the availability of the A/V
signal; dynamic video standard detection, Whereby the
selection of NTSC/PAL/SECAM video standards is made
automatically; automatic media detection, Whereby the type
and make of media storage device is detected automatically;
and automatic portable media player detection, Whereby
different brands and makes of portable media players are
identi?ed automatically.
[0047]
Different embodiments of the present invention
may also provide support for FAT32, FAT16, HFS, HFS+,
Ext2, Ext3, NTFS, or any other standard or proprietary ?le
system. Moreover, embodiments of the present invention
may support MP4, MOV, AVI, ASF, or any other standard or
proprietary ?le format.
[0048]
Certain embodiments of the present invention may
use a remote control device for con?guration and control.
The remote control device may contain one or more buttons,
Which may be used to control some or all of the features or
functions of the recording apparatus. One or more buttons
may be housed on both the recording apparatus device and
the remote control device or on either one of them. The
[0052] The recording apparatus 10 of the present invention
may be deployed in various situations, as depicted in FIGS.
3-10. In FIG. 3, the recording apparatus 10 receives and
processes A/V contents from an analog/digital source 48. In
this case, the recording apparatus 10 can utiliZe an appro
priate A/V encoder to generate the output in a desired
format. The recording apparatus 10 then forWards its output
to the portable media player 24 and/or the general purpose
storage device 26 for playback and/or storage.
[0053] In FIG. 4, the recording apparatus 10 receives and
processes digital A/V contents from a digital source 50. In
this case, the recording apparatus 10 can utiliZe an appro
priate A/V transcoder and/or A/V encoder to generate the
output in a desired format. The recording apparatus 10 then
forWards its output to the portable media player 24 and/or
the general purpose storage device 26 for playback and/or
storage.
[0054]
In FIG. 5, the recording apparatus 10 receives A/V
contents from a set top box 52. The recording apparatus 10
processes the A/V contents and then forWards its output to
the portable media player 24 for playback and/or storage.
[0055] In FIG. 6, the recording apparatus 10 receives A/V
contents transmitted over the air by a transmitting source
(not shoWn). The recording apparatus 10 processes the A/V
contents and then forWards its output to the portable media
player 24 for playback and/or storage.
[0056] In FIG. 7, the recording apparatus 10 receives A/V
apparatus through any Wired or Wireless means. One
embodiment of the present invention may contain a docking
contents from the general purpose storage device 26. The
recording apparatus 10 processes the A/V contents and then
forWards its output to the portable media player 24 for
station for interfacing With and/or holding a portable media
playback and/or storage.
player.
[0057] In FIG. 8, the recording apparatus 10 receives A/V
contents from one portable media player 2411. The recording
apparatus 10 processes the A/V contents and then forWards
its output to another portable media player 24b for playback
and/or storage.
remote control device may communicate With the recording
[0049]
An embodiment of the present invention may con
tain a TCP/IP stack or any other suitable communication
stack to alloW for connection to one or more netWorked
devices. In one embodiment, the A/V data provided by the
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
[0058] In FIG. 9, the recording apparatus 10 receives A/V
contents from the portable media player 24 and then trans
fers the encoded/transcoded A/V contents back to the same
portable media player 24.
[0059]
In FIG. 10, the recording apparatus 10 receives
A/V contents from the general purpose storage device 26
and then transfers the encoded/transcoded A/V contents
back to the same general purpose storage device 26.
[0060]
FIG. 11 illustrates one operational How of one
embodiment of the recording apparatus 10. At block 60, the
recording apparatus 10 is connected to the A/V input source
22 and the portable media player 24. The recording appa
ratus 10 is then poWered up. At block 62, the recording
apparatus 10 performs its initialiZation procedures, such as,
automatic detection of signal source, video standard and
portable media player type. At block 64, the user activates
the recording process by pressing the record button 40 on the
recording apparatus 10. In response, the recording apparatus
[0063] FIG. 14 illustrates another operational How of one
embodiment of the recording apparatus 10. At block 110, the
recording apparatus 10 is connected to the A/V input source
22 and the general purpose storage device 26. The recording
apparatus 10 is then poWered up. At block 112, the recording
apparatus 10 performs its initialiZation procedures, such as,
automatic detection of signal source, video standard and
storage device type. At block 114, the user activates the
recording process by pressing the record button 40 on the
recording apparatus 10. In response, the recording apparatus
10 processes and transfers the A/V contents from the A/V
input source 22 to the general purpose storage device 26 for
storage. At block 116, the user may discontinue the record
ing process by pressing the record button 40 again. At block
118, the user may choose to record another A/V ?le. If so,
the processes at blocks 114, 116 are repeated again. If not,
at block 120, the user may copy the recorded A/V contents
from the general purpose storage device 26 to the portable
media player 24 and play the recorded A/V contents on the
10 processes and transfers the A/V contents from the A/V
portable media player 24 by selecting the appropriate ?le
input source 22 to the portable media player 24 for playback
from a play list.
and/or storage. At block 66, the user may discontinue the
[0064]
recording process by pressing the record button 40 again. At
to record analog and/or digital A/V contents directly to a
One advantage of the present invention is its ability
block 68, the user may then play the recorded A/V contents
portable media player in one step, Without requiring any
on the portable media player 24 by selecting the appropriate
intermediate storage. The stored contents can be played back
?le from a play list.
[0061] FIG. 12 illustrates another operational How of one
by the portable media player 24 immediately upon stopping
the recording. Alternatively, the stored contents can be
embodiment of the recording apparatus 10. At block 70, the
recording apparatus 10 is connected to the A/V input source
22 and the portable media player 24. The recording appa
ratus 10 is then poWered up. At block 72, the recording
apparatus 10 performs its initialiZation procedures, such as,
automatic detection of signal source, video standard and
portable media player type. At block 74, the user activates
the recording process by pressing the record button 40 on the
recording apparatus 10. In response, the recording apparatus
played back by the portable media player 24 simultaneously
10 processes and transfers the A/V contents from the A/V
player 24 as any other mass storage device and the play lists
input source 22 to the portable media player 24 for playback
are left untouched, While in the latter option, the portable
media player ?le structure and play lists are updated to alloW
instant playback of the recorded contents.
and/or storage. At block 76, the user may discontinue the
recording process by pressing the record button 40 again. At
block 78, the user may choose to record another A/V ?le. If
so, the processes at blocks 74, 76 are repeated again. If not,
at block 80, the user may play the recorded A/V contents on
the portable media player 24 by selecting the appropriate ?le
from a play list.
[0062] FIG. 13 illustrates a further operational How of one
embodiment of the recording apparatus 10. At block 90, the
recording apparatus 10 is connected to the A/V input source
22 and the portable media player 24. The recording appa
ratus 10 is then poWered up. At block 92, the recording
apparatus 10 performs its initialiZation procedures, such as,
automatic detection of signal source, video standard and
portable media player type. At block 94, the user activates
the recording process by pressing the record button 40 on the
recording apparatus 10. In response, the recording apparatus
10 processes and transfers the A/V contents from the A/V
input source 22 to the portable media player 24 for playback
and/or storage. At block 96, the user may discontinue the
recording process by pressing the record button 40 again. At
block 98, the user may manually add the recorded A/V ?le
to a play list associated With the portable media player 24.
At block 100, the user may then play the recorded A/V ?le
on the portable media player 24 by selecting the appropriate
?le from the play list.
as the recording takes place, thereby alloWing a user to
Watch What is being recorded onto the portable media player
24.
[0065] Furthermore, in this context, the recording appa
ratus 10 gives portable media player users the option of
managing their oWn play lists or alloWing the recording
apparatus to update the play lists automatically. In the ?rst
option, the recording apparatus 10 treats a portable media
[0066]
Moreover, the recording apparatus 10 may also be
con?gured to control and use some of the resources avail
able on the portable media player 24, including, for example,
display screen, buttons, and memory. Such resources may be
used to receive input from the user and/or display output to
the user.
[0067]
Another advantage of the present invention is its
simplicity and ease of use Whereby transfer of the A NV
contents involves no additional devices other than the A/V
input source 22, the recording apparatus 10 and the portable
media player 24 and/or the general purpose storage device
26. An embodiment of the present invention may further
provide a one-button control interface to a user. By clicking
the button once, the user may initiate the transferring of the
A/V contents onto the portable media player Without any
other input from the user. In other Words, only a single user
interaction, such as, pressing the button once, is needed to
effect the transfer process. It should be noted that the scope
of the present invention is not limited by the number or type
of button(s) used in the control interface. A button may be
a sWitch or key of any type, a touch sensor, part of a touch
screen, or any other electronic or mechanical device. The
user of the present invention does not require any knoWledge
or experience in operating a computer or any other signal
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
processing device other than the portable media player and
the recording apparatus. Despite this simplicity, an embodi
functional equivalents to the elements of the various
embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are
ment of the present invention may provide elaborate control
of the recording apparatus to an advanced user through
con?guration data that may be stored as a data ?le, array,
structure, or any other format. The con?guration data may
reside in the portable media player or in any other storage
device. The con?guration data is handled by a con?guration
module and may provide control of all the device parameters
knoWn or later come to be knoWn to those of ordinary skill
including the type of encoders/decoders, the bit-rates, dura
tion of recording and other parameters.
[0068] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules,
circuits, elements, and/or components described in connec
tion With the embodiments disclosed herein may be imple
mented or performed With a general purpose processor, a
digital signal processor (DSP), an application speci?c inte
grated circuit (ASIC), a ?eld programmable gate array
(FPGA) or other programmable logic component, discrete
gate or transistor logic, discrete hardWare components, or
any combination thereof designed to perform the functions
described herein. A general purpose processor may be a
microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be
any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or
state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a
combination of computing components, e.g., a combination
in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and
are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover,
nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the
public regardless of Whether such disclosure is explicitly
recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed
under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §ll2, sixth paragraph,
unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase
“means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element
is recited using the phrase “step for.”
What is claimed is:
1. A system for facilitating transfer of audio/visual (A/V)
data, the system comprising:
an A/V input source con?gured to provide the A/V data;
a portable media player; and
a recording apparatus coupled betWeen the A/V input
source and the portable media player and con?gured to
record the A/V data from the A/V input source to the
portable media player in a format that is compatible
With the portable media player.
2. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording apparatus
of a DSP and a microprocessor, a number of microproces
is con?gured to output the A/V data in accordance With a
sors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction With a
plurality of speci?ed recording parameters.
DSP core, or any other such con?guration.
[0069]
The methods or algorithms described in connection
With the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied
directly in hardWare, in a softWare module executable by a
processor, or in a combination of both, in the form of control
logic, programming instructions, or other directions, and
3. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data recorded
directly in the portable media player can be played back by
the portable media player immediately upon stopping the
recording.
4. The system of claim 1 Wherein the transfer of the A/V
data involves no additional devices other than the A/V input
may be contained in a single device or distributed across
source, the recording apparatus and the portable media
multiple devices. A softWare module may reside in RAM
player.
memory, ?ash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory,
EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a
CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium knoWn in
the art. A storage medium may be coupled to the processor
such that the processor can read information from, and Write
5. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording apparatus
is further con?gured to update a play list associated With the
information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the
storage medium may be integral to the processor.
[0070] The current invention may be embodied as a stand
alone device or may be housed in a host device. In one
embodiment, the device may even share some of the cir
cuitry of the host, Which enhances the functionality of the
host device by providing the facility of direct recording of
A/V contents to a variety of portable media players. For
instance, an exemplary recording device may be imple
mented in a set-top-box, TV set, camcorder, video camera,
DVD player, VCD player, DVR, VCR, or any other media
player.
[0071]
The previous description of the disclosed embodi
ments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to
make or use the present invention. Various modi?cations to
these embodiments Will be readily apparent to those skilled
in the art, and the generic principles de?ned herein may be
applied to other embodiments Without departing from the
spirit of scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention
is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shoWn
herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent With
the claims, Wherein reference to an element in the singular
is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless speci?
cally so stated, but rather “one or more”. All structural and
portable media player upon completion of a recording
session.
6. The system of claim 1 Where the A/V data provided by
the A/V input source includes audio-visual data, audio-only
data, video-only data, or still image data.
7. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data is recorded
in a memory associated With the portable media player; and
Wherein the memory associated With the portable media
player is internal or external to the portable media
player.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a general purpose storage device con?gured to store the
A/V data from the A/V input source via the recording
apparatus.
9. The system of claim 7 Wherein the recording apparatus
is further con?gured to perform automatic storage media
detection.
10. The system of claim 7 Wherein the portable media
player or the general purpose storage device includes any
one of a hard disk, a ?ash drive, a memory stick, a compact
?ash, a SD card, a multi-media card and a random access
memory.
11. The system of claim 7 Wherein the A/V data provided
by the A/V input source is compatible With at least one of a
plurality of analog video standards including CVBS,
S-Video, Component Video and RGB.
Oct. 25, 2007
US 2007/0248328 A1
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the A/V data provided
by the A/V input source is compatible With at least one of a
plurality of digital video standards including lTU-R BT.656,
DVI, HDMI and LVDS.
13. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data provided
by the A/V input source is in digital bit-stream in com
pressed or uncompressed form, streaming from a netWork
source or read from a portable media player or a general
purpose storage device.
14. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V input source
provides the A/V digital bit-stream that is compressed by at
least one of a plurality of video and audio compression
standards including MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.263,
H.264, VC-l, MP2, AC-3, MP3 and AAC.
15. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data provided
by the A/V input source includes analog audio signals that
are single-channel or multiple-channel.
16. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data provided
by the A/V input source includes digital audio signals that
are single-channel or multiple-channel and compatible With
at least one of a plurality of formats including 12S and PCM.
17. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording appa
ratus is further con?gured to perform automatic detection of
audio and video sources and automatic detection of video
standards including PAL, NTSC and SECAM video stan
dards.
18. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording appa
ratus is further con?gured to perform automatic portable
media player detection and/or identi?cation.
19. The system of claims 1 and 18 Wherein the recording
apparatus is further con?gured to automatically generate an
output bit stream based on the identi?cation of a portable
media player.
20. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording appa
ratus is coupled to the portable media player by at least one
of a plurality of Wired or Wireless methods including USB,
Ethernet, FireWire, BlueTooth, lnfraRed and Wi-Fi.
a converter module con?gured to convert the received
A/V data to a desired format;
an output module con?gured to transfer the A/V data in
the desired format to a portable media player for
playback and/or storage; and
a user interface module con?gured to receive one or more
commands from a user;
a detection module con?gured to automatically identify a
portable media player or a mass storage device; and
a con?guration module con?gured to control the input
module, the converter module and the output module to
effect the conversion of the received A/V data to the
desired format and transfer the A/V data in the desired
format to the portable media player; Wherein the
desired format is selected from a plurality of formats.
26. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the transfer of the
A/V data is effected in real-time as the A/V data is being
played by the A/V input source.
27. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the transfer of the
A/V data is effected in real-time, faster than real-time or
sloWer than real-time.
28. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:
a remote control device con?gured to alloW the user to
issue the command to the user interface module.
29. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the apparatus is
portable.
30. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the apparatus is
stand-alone.
31. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the apparatus is
housed in at least one of a plurality of devices including a set
top box, a television, a video camera, a camcorder, a DVD
player, a VCD player, a DVR and a VCR.
32. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the converter
module is con?gured to encode and/or transcode the A/V
data to a desired format by at least one of a plurality of
compression algorithms including MPEG1, MPEG2,
MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-l, MP2, AC-3, M3 and AAC.
21. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V input source
33. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the desired format
includes one of a set top box, a television, a camcorder, a
video camera, a digital camera, a DV camera, a DVR, a
VCR, a DVD player, an RF tuner or any other media
of the transferred A/V contents includes at least one of a
receiving, playing or recording device.
22. The system of claim 1 Wherein the recording appa
ratus is portable.
23. The system of claim 1 Wherein the portable media
player includes a plurality of resources; and
Wherein the recording apparatus is further con?gured to
control and use one or more of the plurality of resources
associated With the portable media player.
24. The system of claim 1 Wherein the A/V data being
recorded to the portable media player can be simultaneously
plurality of formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, ASP and
MPG.
34. The apparatus of claim 25 Wherein the transferred A/V
contents are compatible With one of a plurality of ?le
systems including FAT32, FAT16, HFS, HFS+, Ext2, Ext3
and NTFS.
35. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:
an output interface con?gured to perform automatic por
table media player detection and identi?cation, and
interface With the portable media player.
36. An audio visual (A/V) recording apparatus for using
played back by the portable media player While recording.
a range of media players that automatically detects and
identi?es a media player coupled to the recording apparatus
25. An apparatus for facilitating recording and transfer of
and generates a suitable output bit stream in a format
audio/visual (A/V) data, the apparatus comprising:
an input module con?gured to receive the A/V data from
an A/V input source;
compatible With the identi?ed media player.
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